Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1887-04-07
A CHASTITY SIGHT,

Strengthened out on the floor was the
form OF Charley Needham-a young
Coop. clerk-with fearful hole behind
his ear, from which the blood was
pouring at rapid rate. Seeing
what was the matter Showell ran
for Ed. Needham, and he was soon on
the spot. Ed. rushed to his brother, and
and in his wild excitement called on him
to "speak," to 'say something" The
boy evidently knew his brother, but he
simply answered "What? ?" and did not
speak again. After lying there in terrible
agony for nearly twenty-five minutes,
young Needham finally closed his eyes
and breathed his last. Lying by his
side was 32-calibre American bulldog
pistol with one chamber empty. The
young man had on only his shirt
and pants, and wore pair of slippers on
his feet. His shirt was covered all over
with blood. and large stream of it was
still pouring from the wound up to the
time he died. The body was left where
it lay and the coroner was sent for
THE INQUEST.
At about s O'Clock a coroner's iurv
consisting of John Cartwright, J. W.
Eardley and G.. B. Tuckfeld was en-
panelled and after taking all the evidence
before them decided that the deceased
came to his death from the effects of a
gun-shot wound inflicted by his own hand.
STRANGE ACTIONS.
Young Needham has been employed at
the Coop for some five or six years and
of late has been in the wholesale notion
department of that establishment. His
companions of the store haye for
many weeks past noticed that he
was moody and gloomy, and have often
asked him what was troubling him,
bnt he either could not or would not tell.
He was asked only a day or two ago il
anything would cure him, and he re-
piled, mo"
The family have noticed that he acted
strangely for some time past, and have
kept pretty close watch upon him.
The trouble seemed to be in his head,
and he has been unable to sleep for a
long time.
Last night he went to his home, No.
341 South, First West street, and went
to bed at about the usual hour. At about
daylight this morning his sister heard a
noise IN his room, and going in she found
him out of bed. She insisted upon his
lying down again, and asked him why
he had not taken his medicine He
replied that he thought he had.
His sister then left him and he was not
seen again until found dying in the loft
of his brothers barn, over a block away.
HIS JUMP FROM THE WINDOW.
The room in which he stayed last night
is in the second story and has two win
dows ON the south side, about
fourteen feet from the ground,
and everything indicates that he
escaped from the house by jumping from
one of these. The downstairs doors of
the house were all found locked, Just as
they were left last night, and
he could not have gone into
the hall without being heard
by some one. The conclusion, therefore.
is that in fit of suffering he got up,
slipped on his trousers and slippers,
dropped to the soft gravel walk below the
window, rashed to his brothers barn and
put an end to his misery.
HIS CHARACTER.
Charley Needham had just finished
his 22d year of life. He was always a.
good boy, and OF late became very am
bilious to educate himself. He has for
some time past been attentive to a GER
tain young lady and recently became
engaged to her. His father gave him
small piece Of ground next to his old
home, and he was contemplating the
erection of house. The young lady
states that there was no trouble between
them, and can only attribute his rash act
to the strange sickness from which he
has been suffering.
The pistol with which the deed was
committed had been taken from a gun
store on approval.